Understanding the Core Principles and Techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Part II

At your first session, your therapist gathers information about you and asks what concerns you’d like to work on. The therapist asks you about your current and past physical and emotional health to get a deeper understanding of your situation. Your therapist may talk with you about whether you might benefit from other treatment as well, such as medicines. Asking questions like this can be helpful in finding a therapist who you are comfortable with. There are no right/wrong answers to these questions, but you will find that some therapists will answer the questions in ways that sound like they would match your needs better than others. The most important thing to gain from these initial conversations is a sense of how the therapist operates and whether you would feel comfortable with them.

Other Psychological Treatment Concerns Helped by CBT

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers a structured framework for addressing mental health conditions by focusing on the interplay between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
• It’s often the preferred type of psychotherapy because it can quickly help you learn about and cope with specific challenges.
• By working closely with a mental health professional, individuals can develop a deeper understanding of their thought patterns and behaviors, empowering them to make meaningful changes.
• There is a possibility that an individual will find themselves withdrawing from social situations and experiencing a loss of social reinforcement.
• Then you define the goals of your therapy and make a therapy plan together with the therapist.

This meant that most people with insurance had the option to see an iCBT counselor online during the pandemic. Other kinds of talk therapy to consider if CBT doesn’t suit a patient include interpersonal therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, brief therapy, gestalt therapy, among others. Outside of talk therapy, therapists might recommend art therapy, dance therapy, hypnotherapy, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Many studies have measured the efficacy of CBT on different mental health conditions, racial groups, age groups, and genders. But the best way to determine if CBT is a good fit is on a case-by-case basis. Patients with anxiety, depression, social phobia, OCD, PTSD, low self-esteem, and hypochondria may benefit from CBT.

Getting Started with Treatment

This is because CBT can cause you to explore painful feelings, emotions and experiences. These reactions tend to get easier to tolerate over time as you practice your skills. Through collaboration with a mental health professional, CBT empowers individuals to take control of their mental health, fostering resilience and promoting a better quality of life.

Transdiagnostic LGBTQ-Affirmative Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Client Workbook

CBT is rooted in the present, so the therapist will initially ask clients to identify life situations, thoughts, and feelings that cause acute or chronic distress. The therapist will then explore whether or not these thoughts and feelings are productive or even valid. The goal of CBT is to get clients actively involved in their own treatment plan so that they understand that the way to improve their lives is to adjust their thinking and their approach to everyday situations. Clients frequently view CBT as user-friendly compared to other treatment modalities (Sheldon, 1995).

• Your therapist will customize your treatment based on the issue you’re addressing.
• Ensuring selected activities align with objectives builds trust, awareness, and shared purpose (Doukani et al., 2022).
• Cognitive therapy (CT) is a psychotherapeutic approach focused on identifying, challenging, and altering negative thought patterns.
• These automatic, maladaptive thoughts have a significant influence on how people understand their events, which exacerbates cognitive dysfunction (Beck, 2020).

CBT is Goal-Oriented

Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapy, as well as many other approaches, center around exploring the past to gather understanding and insight. The goal is to understand what happens in your mind and body in the present to change how you respond. CBT was founded by psychiatrist Aaron Beck in the 1960s, following his disillusionment with Freudian psychoanalysis and a desire to explore more empirical forms of therapy. CBT also has roots in Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), the brainchild of psychologist Albert Ellis. The two were pioneers in changing the therapeutic landscape to offer patients a new treatment option—one that is short-term, goal-oriented, and scientifically validated. There are several challenges that people may face when engaging in cognitive behavioral therapy.

Coping with anxiety can be overwhelming, but CBT makes managing it more achievable. Anxiety, a natural response to perceived stress or danger, can become disruptive when persistently overwhelming, making therapy warranted. Cognitive behavioral therapists take this very seriously and are dedicated to helping Oxford House you along this process at your own pace, offering CBT tools in an environment of warmth and caring. Relying on the foundation of a supportive relationship, you’ll feel more comfortable stepping outside of their comfort zone to achieve their goals. Likewise, online therapy became more widely available during the pandemic, and most insurance companies expanded their coverage for telehealth.

Break out of Unhelpful Patterns Today

Think of your therapist as a partner working with you through a process. If you keep working together toward the goals you’ve set, you’ll be able to mark your progress over time. Talk to people you trust to give you a referral for a therapist who uses cognitive behavioral therapy, whether it’s your primary healthcare provider or a friend or family member.

This process encourages individuals to scrutinize their thinking patterns, helping them to recognize and alter thoughts that may contribute to cognitive behavioral therapy emotional difficulties. CBT is often held in weekly or bi-weekly sessions consisting of minute conversations between you and your therapist. Cognitive behavioral therapists deliver interventions in a strategic manner.

CBT assists individuals in developing effective goal-setting skills that encompass both short- and long-term objectives, aiding in the recovery from mental illness. By setting and achieving these goals, individuals can make significant strides in improving their overall health and life. By concentrating on specific issues, CBT empowers individuals to make meaningful changes in their everyday lives. This structured approach is particularly beneficial for those seeking to address a variety of mental health concerns, ensuring that individuals can lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. As much as your therapist is helping you, you also have to help yourself. Throughout the course of cognitive behavioral therapy, you are expected to take an active role in your progress.